Rights group: Journalists in Libya under constant threat by militants
Human Rights Watch says journalists in post-revolution Libya have been under constant pressure by the militant groups.
In a report called “War on the media: Journalists under attack in Libya” issued on Sunday, the HRW said the journalists’ limited freedom under the reign of the country’s former dictator, Muammar Gaddafi, has vanished.
“Journalists were among the 250 people killed in apparent politically-motivated assassinations in 2014,” read the report, which also cited “at least 91 cases of threats and assaults against journalists, 14 of them women, from mid-2012 until November 2014.”
The rights organization also reported eight murders of journalists, 30 abduction cases and 26 armed attacks against media headquarters.
“The climate of impunity has allowed militias to assault, threaten, kidnap, or even kill journalists because of their reporting or views,” Joe Stork, HRW’s deputy director for Middle East and North Africa, stated in the report.
“Government authorities and non-state actors who control territory should urgently condemn attacks on journalists and where possible hold those responsible to account,” Stork added.
The HRW also slammed the Libyan judiciary for prosecuting journalists for “speech-related offences.”
Libya plunged into chaos following the 2011 uprising against the dictatorship of Gaddafi. The ouster of Gaddafi gave rise to a patchwork of heavily-armed militias and deep political divisions.
The country has been witnessing numerous clashes between government forces and rival militia groups that refuse to lay down arms.
Battles among the rival militants, who had participated in the anti-Gaddafi uprising, are mainly over the control of oil facilities in eastern Libya.
FNR/HSN/SS
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